Young entrepreneurs learn critical skills at state-funded afterschool program

While some organizations struggle to design afterschool and summer programs that high school students will attend regularly, Guided Grace Family and Youth Services has found a simple solution: Ask them what they want to do.

When their high school students shared their summer plans for 2025, many were eyeing entrepreneurial ventures. Nicole Liggins, co-founder and CEO, proposed that the students start their own business during their summer camp at Guided Grace.

In a video produced by the organization about the program, Liggins recalled the moment the idea was first introduced: “The kids’ eyes lit up like Christmas trees. They were like, ‘We’re going to start a business? What do you mean we’re going to start a business?’ I said, ‘Yes, in 30 days I’m going to show you guys how you can become entrepreneurs.’”

Liggins is no stranger to entrepreneurship herself. Her own organization is a social enterprise that combines a psychological therapy clinic and nonprofit afterschool program for K-12 students in mid-Michigan. The program is made possible by public funding from the state of Michigan. Michigan’s commitment to publicly funded afterschool programs has been shaped in part by advocacy and research conducted by the Michigan Afterschool Partnership and the Afterschool Alliance, both grantees of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

“We knew that we wanted to cover things like financial literacy, employability, giving kids skills that we know that they’ll need to be self-sufficient in the future,” said Liggins, adding that entrepreneurship also lends itself well to applying reading, science and math principles students have learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios.

After learning the basics of business management, the group collaborated on product development, branding and marketing. The result? BeUTeaFul, a line of handmade organic soaps and branded merchandise.

“[This camp] really helped me. I learned how to be a leader, to lead my own brand, how to financially stabilize my brand,” said 11th grader and BeUTeaFul’s Marketing Coordinator Keontae Jackson in the video. Jackson went on to say he looks forward to continuing in the program.

The students have continued to make products, manage the business, and recruit additional students to the venture during their afterschool time at Guided Grace. The proceeds from their sales will fund scholarships for graduating seniors on the team.

“We worked hard to get where we’re at. We worked together, we made sure that everything was correct … , and now we’re making big moves on everything we’re doing,” Lyrical M’Queen, a ninth grader and one of BeUTeaFul’s founding team members, shared in the video.

Michigan’s latest education budget, signed on October 7, 2025, maintains $75 million for programming before and after school.

The new budget came at an opportune time: More than 8,000 communities and 1 million people are expected to celebrate Lights On Afterschool on October 23, 2025. The annual event draws attention to the many ways afterschool programs promote learning and skills development and raises awareness about the millions of children who still need access to quality programs.

Afterschool programs enjoy overwhelming popularity. According to the new America After 3 PM report published by the Afterschool Alliance, parent satisfaction has reached an all-time high of 95%. Parents of nearly 30 million children — more than half of all school-age youth — want afterschool programs for their children. However, more than three in four (77%) of these children are unable to access programs due to cost, transportation or limited availability, among other barriers.

The All in Michigan campaign is also raising awareness: More than 750,000 young people in the state miss out on high-quality afterschool programs due to a lack of supply. The campaign, run by the Michigan Afterschool Partnership, sheds light on the many benefits of afterschool for kids and families and supports expanding programs to reach all children.

Decades of research, conducted with support from Mott, have found that participation in afterschool and summer programs has positive, lasting impacts from elementary and secondary school through young adulthood. These include better grades, more social confidence, higher educational attainment, healthier lifestyles, fewer arrests and less substance abuse.

Teaching entrepreneurship in afterschool programs can help youth develop the skills and mindsets they need to shape their futures.